Thomas Christopher reports for the Berkshire Eagle that the imported kousa dogwood tree was once championed as a replacement for dying native dogwood trees, but now it is considered an invasive species. The tree, introduced into North America from East Asia in the 19th century, has recently been identified as an emerging invasive in the state of New Jersey. In East Asia, monkeys help spread the kousa dogwood’s fruits that are the size and color of raspberries. Bethany Bradley, Ph.D., a scientist at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, researches invasion ecology, and said, that there is often a lag between when a plant species is introduced and when it begins to behave invasively. Sometimes that is because of how many plants are introduced, or current climate conditions. Read more about this story in the Berkshire Eagle.